Acupuncture

Perimenopause, Menopause & Hormonal Transitions

Navigating the natural shifts out of your reproductive years or managing ongoing gynecological concerns can impact your entire system. I provide drug-free relief for:

  • Hormonal Shifts & Irregular Cycles: Balancing your system during natural hormonal fluctuations and managing chronic gynecological conditions.

  • Hot Flashes & Night Sweats: Calming the body's temperature-regulation center to reduce sudden heat spikes. Reducing the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats. 

  • Menopausal Insomnia & Sleep Disturbances: Helping you fall asleep faster, sleep deeper, and wake up feeling rested.

  • Joint Stiffness & Muscle Aches: Relieving systemic inflammation and body aches caused by changing estrogen levels.


Pelvic Health Concerns & Bladder Function

Acupuncture is highly effective at calming overactive nerves and encouraging proper muscle tone in the pelvic bowl, working hand-in-hand with pelvic physio to treat:

  • Urinary Incontinence: Helping manage both Stress Incontinence (leaking with coughing or laughing) and Urge Incontinence (sudden, uncontrollable urges).

  • Overactive Bladder (OAB) & Frequent Urination: Calming the bladder muscle to reduce excessive daytime or nighttime bathroom trips.

  • Pelvic Organ Prolapse & Deep Tension: Addressing the heavy, dragging sensations of prolapse and unwinding deeply held tension in tight pelvic floor muscles (painful intercourse, vaginismus, or vulvodynia).

Recovery After Hysterectomy & Pelvic Surgery (Pre- & Post-Op)

A major pelvic procedure impacts your tissues, nerves, and emotional baseline. Acupuncture bridges the gap between your surgical procedure and your rehabilitation to support a smoother recovery process:

  • Pre-Operative Support & Anxiety: Calming a hyperactive fight-or-flight nervous system to prepare your body and mind for surgery.

  • Post-Operative Pain Management: Helping to soothe localized nerve pain and naturally ease structural discomfort, reducing reliance solely on pain medications.

  • Scar Tissue Healing & Mobilization: Promoting fresh blood flow to the incision site to improve skin elasticity, reduce pulling, and prevent deep internal adhesions.

  • Digestive Re-activation: Helping wake up sluggish bowels and relieving post-surgery gas, bloating, or constipation.

Acupuncture for Women’s Health, Pelvic Support & Life Transitions

Acupuncture is a safe, evidence-based tool that works beautifully by regulating the nervous system, balancing hormones, and improving circulation, it helps you find balance through all of life's transitions.

Whether you are navigating hormonal shifts, recovering from a major surgery, or seeking a space to reset, our targeted treatments support your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Registered Acupuncturist Stephanie Grozell offers acupuncture as a form of support for women navigating:

Fertility, Pregnancy & Postpartum Recovery

From preconception to bringing your baby home, acupuncture supports your body through every stage of your unique reproductive journey:

  • Fertility Support: Preconception care to optimize your reproductive health, balance hormones, and lower stress when trying to conceive.

  • Pregnancy-Specific Systemic Relief: Safe, gentle care for everyday systemic challenges, including pregnancy heartburn, acid reflux, morning sickness, severe nausea, pregnancy insomnia, and slow digestion or constipation.

  • Third-Trimester Swelling & Fluid Retention: Improving lower-body circulation to relieve heavy, swollen ankles and feet (edema).

  • Breech Baby Presentation: Utilizing traditional, non-invasive techniques like moxibustion (moxa) starting around weeks 34–36 to encourage optimal fetal positioning.

  • Labour Preparation & Conditioning: Starting around week 36 or 37 to encourage cervical ripening and deep physical relaxation before birth.

  • Postpartum Recovery: Balancing postpartum hormones, addressing fatigue, and supporting milk supply or lactation challenges. Reducing pain and improving healing outcomes for C-section scars. 

Compassionate Pregnancy Loss Support

Navigating the physical and emotional reality of pregnancy loss, whether through miscarriage, termination, or stillbirth is a profound transition. We provide a deeply gentle, quiet, and nurturing space to support your healing:

  • Physical Recovery: Helping your uterus return to its baseline, regulating bleeding, and soothing physical cramping or postpartum-like body aches.

  • Hormonal Re-balancing: Supporting your endocrine system as hormones shift rapidly after a loss.

  • Emotional Grounding: Calming a traumatized or overwhelmed nervous system to help manage grief, anxiety, and exhaustion.

Stress, Anxiety & Times of Transition

Your physical health is deeply tied to your emotional well-being. We treat your body through a holistic lens, offering a dedicated space for deep rest when you are navigating:

  • Stress, Anxiety, and Burnout: Calming a hyperactive fight-or-flight nervous system to reduce chronic tension, headaches, and physical exhaustion.

  • Digestive Changes: Soothing stress-induced digestive issues like bloating, slow digestion, or stomach cramping.

  • Times of Transition, Overwhelm, or Disconnection: Providing a grounding, restorative treatment to help you feel safely reconnected to your body during times of major life or health changes.

Where To Book Acupuncture with Stephanie

Stephanie’s practice is mid Island based with clinics in both Parksville and Courtenay. Book for acupuncture services in Parksville Monday to Thursday, or in Courtenay on Wednesday & Friday afternoons.

Book Now in Parksville at Parksville Physiotherapy
Book Now in Courtenay at Fullmoon Physiotherapy

Additional Services

In addition to acupuncture some treatments may also include treatment techniques that are traditional Chinese medicine based including:

Cupping

The application of glass or silicone cups to the skin that creates a suction. Pulling skin and fascial tissue and expanding blood flow to the localized area.

Gua Sha

The use of a jade tool applied as a rubbing technique on the surface of the skin to increase blood flow.

Electro Stimulation

Small electrodes attach to the acupuncture needles and emit a pulsed frequency through the needle into the tissue encouraging improved circulation and healing.

Moxa

Dried mugwort herb is burned to warm the tissue. Applied directly to the needle, on the surface of the skin, or through indirect application. Supporting improved blood flow and warmth in the tissue.

Ear Seeds

Small viccaria seeds are applied to the surface of the ear with adhesive tape. Sitting on the surface of the skin these seeds stimulate points in the ear.

Acupuncture FAQ

  • Acupuncture is a practice rooted in Chinese medicine that involves the gentle insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body.

    It is used to support the body’s natural ability to regulate and restore balance.

  • Most people are surprised by how subtle acupuncture feels.

    The needles are very thin, and sensations are often described as:

    • A light sensation or dull ache
    • Warmth or heaviness
    • A feeling of relaxation

    Many people feel deeply calm during and after treatment.

  • Acupuncture is often used to support:

    • Stress and nervous system regulation
    • Sleep and energy
    • Hormonal balance
    • Digestive function
    • Emotional well-being
    • Pain and tension

    In my practice, I focus on supporting women through life transitions such as perimenopause, postpartum, and recovery after hysterectomy.ription text goes here

  • This varies for each person.

    Some women come in for short-term support during a specific time, while others choose ongoing care as a way to stay supported through longer transitions.

    We can discuss what feels realistic and supportive for you based on your goals for your well being or your specific concerns. 

  • Yes, acupuncture is generally very safe when performed by a trained and licensed practitioner.

    I use sterile, single-use needles and follow all professional safety guidelines.

  • Sessions include time to talk about what you’re experiencing, followed by an acupuncture treatment.

    You’ll rest with the needles in place for a period of time, often leaving feeling more relaxed and settled.

  • Experiences vary, but many women report:

    • Feeling more calm or grounded
    • Improved sleep
    • Subtle shifts in energy or mood

    Changes often happen gradually over time.

  • Acupuncture is a practice rooted in Chinese medicine that involves the gentle insertion of very fine needles into specific points on the body.

    It is used to support the body’s natural ability to regulate and restore balance.Yes. Starting around week 36 or 37 of pregnancy, we use gentle, evidence-based prenatal acupuncture protocols to help prepare your body for birth. These treatments focus on calming the nervous system, encouraging cervical ripening (softening), and supporting optimal baby positioning. If your baby is in a breech position, we can utilize a safe, traditional heat therapy called moxibustion (moxa) starting around weeks 34–36 to encourage the baby to turn naturally.

  • Yes, prenatal and postpartum acupuncture is incredibly safe and gentle when performed by a registered acupuncturist. We completely customize your treatment based on your stage of recovery. Please note that while our clinic's IMS Dry Needling services are not recommended during pregnancy, traditional Prenatal Acupuncture is perfectly safe and highly effective for treating third-trimester swelling, morning sickness, and lower back pain. We also provide specialized pre- and post-operative treatments to support healing and reduce scar tissue pulling after a hysterectomy or other pelvic surgeries 

  • Pelvic health acupuncture is a treatment approach that uses acupuncture and Chinese medicine to support symptoms affecting the pelvis and surrounding systems. This may include pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, bladder symptoms, painful periods, prolapse-related symptoms, postpartum recovery, menopause-related changes, and hysterectomy recovery. Treatment looks not only at the pelvic symptoms themselves, but also at the nervous system, breathing patterns, digestion, sleep, stress, hormones, and other factors that may be contributing to the overall picture.

  • Acupuncture may be used as part of a broader treatment plan for pelvic floor dysfunction, especially when symptoms are connected to pain, muscle tension, nervous system dysregulation, stress, or hormonal changes. It can be a supportive option alongside pelvic floor physiotherapy by helping calm the body, reduce guarding, and improve overall regulation and circulation.

  • Many clients seek pelvic health acupuncture for symptoms such as pelvic pain, bladder urgency or frequency, menstrual pain, or chronic tension in the pelvis and lower abdomen. Treatment is individualized and aims to support the body in reducing pain, improving circulation, easing muscular tension, and addressing the broader patterns that may be contributing to symptoms.

  • No. Pelvic health acupuncture does not involve an internal pelvic exam or internal treatment. Treatment is entirely external and may include acupuncture points on the abdomen, low back, sacrum, hips, legs, and, when appropriate, the external tissues of the pelvic floor. If treatment near the pelvic floor is clinically relevant, it will always be discussed with you beforehand, used only with your consent, and approached with your comfort, privacy, and nervous system safety in mind.

  • Yes acupuncture can be a supportive part of hysterectomy preparation and recovery. Treatment may help with nervous system regulation, pain, tension, circulation, rest, digestion, and the broader physical and emotional transition that can come with surgery. Care is always adapted to your stage of healing and any other treatment or rehabilitation you are receiving.

  • "She spent a significant amount of time just listening to my story and asking thoughtful questions. In a world where women can feel rushed or unheard by our practitioners this meant everything."

    Former Customer

  • "Excellent communication and intuitive experience with Stephanie"

    J.S.